Point Loma  Two electricians working in the utility room of a La Jolla high-rise apartment building were injured, one seriously, when an electrical panel exploded and caught fire on Tuesday.

The three-alarm blast brought about 100 firefighters to the 21-story, oceanfront residential building called 939 Coast, on Coast Boulevard near Jenner Street, said San Diego Fire-Rescue spokesman Maurice Luque.

The fire was contained to the electrical panel, but the first two floors of the building had to be evacuated because they were filled with smoke, Luque said. Firefighters got the flames out quickly with dry chemical extinguishers.

About 120 people were in the 162-unit building when the alarm went off about 11:20 a.m. Many residents on the upper floors left the building on their own, Luque said.

One of the electricians working for Global Power suffered major burns and was admitted to UC San Diego Medical Center burn unit. The other man had minor burns to his neck, was treated at a hospital, then released. No other injuries were reported.

Luque said the transformer was carrying the maximum load of 440 volts of power when the electrical panel exploded.

There was no structural damage to the building, he said.

As firefighters went in to the building, two women carried a bench from the entry way of the Coast Blvd, complex out to the sidewalk to wait out the incident.
— John Gibbins

As firefighters went in to the building, two women carried a bench from the entry way of the Coast Blvd, complex out to the sidewalk to wait out the incident.
— John Gibbins

Klaus Kaiser, a seven-year resident at 939 Coast, said he was on the 14th floor when the power went out briefly, before emergency generators kicked on. Kaiser said he stepped into the hallway, where emergency lights were flashing and loud speakers were advising residents to leave.

Kaiser said he took the stairs down, and no one appeared to have panicked.

Joan Arnold, a 12-year resident, said she looked out her 16th-floor window and saw dozens of fire trucks, and neighbors milling around on the sidewalk. She decided she’d better evacuate, and as she neared the ground floor, she could smell smoke.

San Diego Gas & Electric Co. crews restored power floor-by-floor and firefighters vented smoky air out of the building. Residents were allowed back in shortly after 2 p.m.

Luque said the building does not have a sprinkler system because it was built before such systems were required.